Perspectives on the beautiful game of soccer; fueled by enormous amounts of coffee

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Found in translation

I got an email asking for the translation of the Ruiz interview. That makes the email sound demanding, but it was really nice, thanking us for the videos and pictures we post and calling us the best blog. OOOOhhh, flattery! But it works.

Anyway, here's what Ruiz said - my questions aren't there, but you can probably figure what I asked by his answer.

It was nice. I’m happy about that. It was a new and nice experience, playing in Asia. I played the three games there, and I scored three goals in one game. That gives me confidence, as a forward. I hope to continue with those results. I feel good physically, and there’s still time before league play begins, so I’m going to continue to get ready and be 100 percent and help the team improve every day.

Well, I still think the Galaxy is the best team in the U.S. They’re the best organization. The Galaxy have always had famous players. They continue to be a team that people always follow. It’s changed, obviously, since the days I was here in 2002, 2003 and 2004. It’s now 2008 and it’s different, with different players, and obviously, it’s different with David here. The Galaxy are now known not only in the United States, but also all over the world. The people want to see the Galaxy, they want to see David, so a lot of things have changed. But in the end, it’s the same always. The team tries to win, we try to play good football. Players have come and players have gone, but the idea is the same.

David is a great player. This time on tour was good for us to get to know each other, to cooperate, to learn how he plays, and for him to learn how I play. It’s good to work together as a team, all the players who are here. We hope to have David for the majority of our games. He lets us know that we are all players who can play, who are important to the team, even if there are some that aren’t as recognized by the public.

David speaks a little Spanish, because of his four years in Spain. He sometimes speaks to me in Spanish, though I think his Spanish is like my English. He does try to speak Spanish with me, as I’m one of the only ones who speaks Spanish on the team. So we do talk at times, though it’s a bit strange to hear him speak in the accent of those from Spain. But he tries to communicate with everybody.

Well, I think before, a lot of people identified with the Galaxy, especially Latinos, because there were so many Latino players on the team. From El Salvador, they had Cienfuegos, from Mexico, Jorge Campos and Luis Hernandez, Hermosillo. They were people who came to this team to catch the attention of the Latino public and to help us win championships. It could be that this team doesn’t need those players to get the attention of the fans. The Galaxy, if we play good soccer and win titles, I believe it’s going to be more than enough. I don’t feel like I’m alone or the only Latino. Now there’s Alvaro Pires, as well. It’s important to become champions with the players that we have, I think. It could be that some people will ask for more Latinos, because in Los Angeles, they might want to see them on the team, but it all depends on what Alexi and Ruud Gullit say. If they think we’re fine, well, this is the team we’ll have all year.

There was a lot of pressure, because the Galaxy had had so many great players, but they hadn’t won titles. That year, for me, there was a lot of pressure, but it ended well. We won a title for the first time in the team’s history and in the end, that’s what people remember. The people want to see that same Carlos Ruiz who scored all those goals in those three years here. That’s why I’m working hard, so they won’t be disappointed.

(Laughing) Yes, because that’s what happened. I scored the goal in 2002 and Guillermo scored in 2005. To get to that point, we have to work very hard. It’s not just about having a Guatemalan on the team. When we got to that game in 2002, we had worked so hard as a team and we wound up claiming the championship. The same thing happened in 2005. To get there again, we have to do that again – work hard and get to the playoffs in good form, play well in the playoffs, and in the final, which will be here – which is extra incentive – and then play well so we can celebrate.

Yes, at times we do talk about what we’ve gone through as teammates on previous teams. With Greg, we were never Galaxy teammates before, but we were teammates on FC Dallas. Pete, he was my first roommate with the Galaxy. We do talk about how the team has changed and how the league has changed. We think soccer has changed for the better here in the U.S. Now we’re in this position, defending again the colors of the Galaxy. I know that Pete, Greg and I – the team we most love is the Galaxy. We’re happy to be back, or in the case of Pete, to continue with, this team and hopefully win another title.

It’s not hard. Soccer is one language all over the world. Ruud isn’t here to teach us how to play, just to get us to understand what his system and tactics are. As professional players, we need to comply as quickly as possible. We’ve worked hard to get fit and strong, to follow the instructions of Ruud and his agenda. We still have some time to get all that in order before the league starts. I think the Galaxy are going to be a team that plays very good soccer.

Definitely. I care a lot for this team, these colors and the fans here. I do feel that I’ve come home and I’m very comfortable. I’m so glad I came to the Galaxy and not another team, because I would have felt like I was starting over. Instead, I returned here, and I have to prove myself here. I think if everything around you is good and you feel content, then it shows on the field. I’m happy to play and I hope to start the season well and eventually finish it well.